When Worlds Collide
by Jy19
Summary: AU: Where Percy and Piper are best friends, Annabeth and Jason are close, and, well, the rest is a tale waiting to be told.
1. Chapter 1

**WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE**

 **A 'HEROES OF OLYMPUS' FANFICTION**

 **CHAPTER 1**

 **Introduction**

What happens when the worlds of two people, who are poles apart, collide? What happens when the world of a responsible, dutiful, gentleman collides with that of a rebellious, fun-loving tomboy? Or when the world of a controlled, professional young woman collides with that of a hyper, sassy and zippy young lad? In short, what happens when north and south collide? True, a hypothetical situation, but what if it got real?

Annabeth Chase sat in her car and sighed contently. Another successful, albeit taxing day at work had passed. She drove home listening to the radio which was incidentally playing "Uptown Funk". Upon finding her usual spot empty, she parked her car in the parking lot and locked it. Annabeth climbed to the third floor, opened her apartment only to find her landline ringing. She answered her phone with a hello. "Hi Annabeth, it's me, your mother." Said her mother's strained voice. Something was wrong. Annabeth frowned, but spoke in a pleasant voice.

"Hi mom, how are you?"

"I'm fine, I just wanted to talk to you about something." She replied a little awkwardly. Fortunately or unfortunately, Annabeth's mother was her boss and owner of their company, Pallas Architects.

"Is it something you need? I think I have mailed you the Parker's presentation."

"No-no, it's-it's, I just wish to spend some time with you, that's all. Would you like to have dinner with me?" she asked hesitantly.

Annabeth frowned once more. Something was definitely wrong. But she kept her voice cool. "Sure. When do you want to meet?"

"Saturday, seven o'clock, at the Big Yellow Window? Is that fine?"

"Perfect, I'll meet you there."

"All right, see you."

"See you, mother." Annabeth hung up. Something was cooking.

* * *

The screen went blank with a big neon green sign saying,

GAME OVER

PLAYER 1 PERCYJ LOSES

PLAYER 2 PIPESCLEAN WINS

"That's not fair! You cheated!" Percy shouted at his best friend.

"Oh no, I did not! It was a fair game!" Piper shouted back.

"I don't like you." Percy said, making a face.

"Yes, just because _you_ have to drag your ass to the kitchen and cook now." Piper teased him, with a smirk plastered across her face.

Percy glared at her, but went to the kitchen. "What should I make?" he asked himself, ruffling his hair. He opened the fridge, and a packet of bread fell out. "Oh, great, that's a start." The fridge was packed with things he'd stuffed in after grocery shopping and it was all organized perfectly, all thanks to Piper, except the bread he'd thrown in last night, which kind of disturbed the decorum.

"Pipes, anything specific you want to eat?" Percy shouted out to his best friend who was sitting in the drawing room.

"Na, just make something that's edible." She shouted back.

Percy shrugged and pulled out some jelly and a jar of peanut butter, and meticulously started making his favourite sandwiches.

When he went to back to the drawing room, Piper was putting in a CD of COD.

"What will the loser do this time?" she asked, looking up at him, since she was sitting on the floor, and all six feet of Percy were looming above her, standing.

"Prank-call Leo and seduce him over the phone, in the most ridiculous voice possible." Percy smirked.

"Oh you'll do it better than me." She flashed him a grin.

"We'll see." He cheekily grinned back.

* * *

Jason rubbed his temples and sighed. _Being a CEO can get a little tiring_ , he thought to himself. _Who am I kidding? It can get more than tiring, exhausting even, but nevertheless, I love my job_ , he told himself. He went out to the small kitchenette attached to his office and poured himself some steaming black coffee. No milk, just two spoons of sugar, and a perfect coffee is served. He sipped it, while sorting through some papers. Jason's company, well, his father's originally, was a builder's company, they bought land, and made skyscrapers, hotels, malls, etc for other commercial companies. They earned well, certainly, because they were the best in the USA. It's obvious that a company that builds so much always needs architects, for that, they were in a long-term and friendly collaboration with another top company, Pallas Architects, who had been allies since the beginning of both corporations. These two companies were pretty much working hand in hand. Their owners too, were close friends. So much so that their children had grown up together, and were inseparable, even if they didn't get along with their respective parents.

Jason checked his email, only to find a mail from Annabeth. She had scanned and sent him the blueprint of the next skyscraper to be built. He smiled to himself as he thought of her. She was _always_ on time. This reduced his stress a bit as he could now scratch off one thing from his to-do list. He forwarded the presentation to his client for approval, and leaned back in his seat. Jason wondered if he would ever be able to run his company properly without such an efficient collaborator.

As soon as he was done with work, he drove home and ran straight for the shower. The hot water helped relax his tense muscles, and he crashed into bed after ditching his towel for his pyjamas. As if to disturb his peace, the wretched phone rang it's obnoxiously loud ring, or was it obnoxious because he was just about to doze off?

He picked it up and said, "Hello?"

"Evening, son. It's me, your father."

 _Why_. Jason thought to himself.

"Yeah dad, what can I do for you?" he checked the clock, it was ten in the night. Something was up, his father never called him after nine.

"I need to meet you, when can you make it?"

"I could have lunch with you on Sunday, I'm busy before that."

"Alright, see you then."

"Fine, dad." He hung up and dozed off as soon as his head touched the pillow.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

 **Hunting Ground**

The next day, Annabeth woke up at six in the morning to go for a jog. Incidentally, she had at least a dozen messages from Thalia, her best friend, and a missed call from Jason. She checked her voice mail, and it was Jason's voice saying, " _Hey Annabeth, call me as soon as you get this, it's kind of… urgent."_ Annabeth called him back. Jason picked up after the second ring. "Hey Annabeth." He was panting.

"Hey Jason, is something wrong?"

"Yeah, sort of. I can't talk about it right now, are you free tonight, by any chance?"

"Yeah, I am"

"That's great, can you meet me after work, at 7?"

"Fine, I'll be there. At the 'Hunting Ground'?"

"Perfect place, see you there, bye."

"Yeah, see you, bye." And he hung up.

* * *

Percy unlocked the door of his apartment and dumped his coat on the floor. His phone rang, it was Piper. He answered it with a sad hello.

"Hey Perce, how did the interview go?" Piper asked.

"I don't think I'm getting the job Pipes." Percy said as he plopped down on the couch.

"Oh, don't say that, you haven't received a call yet telling that you aren't, how bad could it have gone?" Piper inquired.

"I don't know, they seemed…. Hesitant." Percy grimaced.

"Why would you say that? Chill, Perce, it'll be fine, and if nothing, you know your dad wants you to join his company, you could try that." She suggested.

"Piper, how many times have I told you? I don't want to go to his company. I want to make my name on my own." croaked Percy.

"Who says you have to use his reputation to get to a higher level, start from the bottom, work your way up, that's what you'd do in any company." Piper claimed.

"Would _you_ work in your mom's fashion magazine?" Percy exasperatedly asked.

"Never. She would promote me to _the highest_ post in the first hour." Piper chuckled a bit at the end.

"See my point, my dad would do the same-"

"Hey, your dad is better than my mom, you know it." She interjected before he could say anything further.

"You know, enough about me, did you get the letter from Fox Life?" Percy asked, taking off his shoes.

"Not yet, but according to the date they told me, it should be here in a day or two." She said hopefully.

"You deserve that job, and you know it. It's been your dream since ninth grade." He chuckled at the end. He could practically hear her blush.

"It was just a dream back then, but it's so close to getting fulfilled now, that if it doesn't, I'll be devastated." She sighed.

"You'll make a great presenter, just you wait." He smiled.

"Let's hope I do Percy, let's hope I do."

* * *

Annabeth stepped into the 'Hunting Ground', Thalia's bar, and took a seat on the counter.

"Hey princess, what can I get you?" Thalia's excited voice asked from the other side of the counter.

"Nothing right now, let's wait for Jason."

"Yeah, he told me he'd be coming, I haven't met him in weeks, it will be fun, you, me and my little brother, just like old times. There he is!"

"Hey Annabeth, hi Thals" Jason said, sounding tired, and sat himself on the stool next to Annabeth.

"Shots or whiskey?" Thalia asked.

"Actually, I'll have gin and tonic." Annabeth stated.

"Scotch for me." Jason said.

"Nobody wants shots." Thalia muttered to herself and went to make their drinks.

Jason turned to Annabeth and said, "Something is wrong, my dad called me last night and asked me to meet him."

"My mom did too! I knew something was fishy!" Annabeth exclaimed.

"When and where are you meeting?" he asked her in a hushed voice.

"Saturday, at the Big Yellow Window." Annabeth told him.

"I still have to fix up a place with him, but we're meeting for lunch on Sunday. I don't like this, whatever they are up to. They've never done anything to get to know us, they barely even see us, unless it's business or a holiday." Jason exclaimed in anger.

"I know, do you think they want something from us?" Annabeth's face contorted into one of worry.

"Definitely, I mean ever since Thalia set up her bar, dad hasn't even come for a drink. Your mom barely looks you in the eye after her divorce with your dad. I don't know Annabeth, I _don't_ like this. At all." Jason said, rubbing his forehead in exasperation.

"We'll see Jason, I'll talk to you once I meet up with mom." She said.

"Yeah, please do that. Man, I really need a drink right now."

"There you go little brother." Thalia said as she slid the glass to Jason, and handed Annabeth her's.

"I think I'm going to need something stronger today." He said as he drowned the contents of his glass in a single gulp.

"Why, what happened? Some presentation went bad?" Thalia asked, worry clear in her voice. It was weird how such rebel, who always wore combat boots, leather jackets and had spiky hair dyed blue at the tips, who was a complete punk could worry so much about her little brother.

"Na, dad's acting weird." Jason said with confusion.

"Care to explain?" Thalia leaned on the counter to listen better. Annabeth explained the situation to her and Thalia's confusion grew with each sentence. "I don't know what it is, but it's not good." Annabeth said.

"Whatever it is guys, I don't like it either." Thalia declared.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

 **KILL ME ALREADY**

 _Saturday, 8 o'clock, the Big Yellow Window, Sacramento, California….._

"I have to what?!" Annabeth shouted at her mother, anger and annoyance clear in her voice.

"You have to marry Jason." Athena, Annabeth's mother replied flatly. "And do not create a scene here."

" _I'm_ the one creating a scene here? Really, mom? Do you really expect me to _'obey'_ you like I used to as a child?" Annabeth said, snarling at her mother in disgust.

"Annabeth listen to me," her mother's voice softened now, "The future of our company is at stake. We're slowly losing all that we had, our investors are pulling out, our clients are withdrawing, we have only one client left, and that's Zeus and Co." she sounded genuinely worried now.

"So make a better business strategy, advertise, get the clients back, making me marry Jason isn't going to solve anything!" Annabeth hissed.

"I've tried everything, everything I could, but nothing is working, I cannot afford to lose our only client now. We may have been a top company, Annabeth, but things are changing, faster than I expected, faster than I could do anything." She was almost in tears now.

"But that doesn't mean that we have to take such desperate measures, there's got to be a way." Annabeth said irritatedly.

With glossy eyes, her mother looked up at her and said, "I'm growing old Annabeth, every day brings me closer to the day when I won't be able to do anything, when the company will come to you." Her voice croaking, "I don't want to leave you with sheer crap. I don't want you to curse me for forcing you to practically rebuild this company. I hid everything about our deterioration from you because I didn't want you to stop doing what you love and worry about business strategies." She cupped Annabeth's cheek and caressed it. The younger woman looked down, her bottom lip quivering.

"You think my marriage to Jason will be some sort of assurance that they won't abandon our company in the future?" Annabeth looked up at her mother for an answer.

"I'm operating solely on faith right now." Athena replied, putting her hand down, her gaze shifting to her lap. "I know I'm not the best mother in the world, but I must ask you of this favour. I know you care about our company a lot, and it would kill you to see it die. I haven't ever asked you for anything ever, but please do this for me?"

"I'll do it for the company. Not for you." Annabeth replied coldly, and stood up from the chair she was sitting in.

"That will be more than enough for me." her mother said.

"It better." Her daughter replied, storming out of the restaurant.

 _Same day, Manhattan, New York…_

Percy's doorbell rang. He got up from the couch, and lowered the lid of his laptop, which he was using to email his résumé to a couple of potential employers. He opened the door of his apartment and an excited Piper threw herself on him, her arms around his neck, and herself shrieking with delight.

"Whoa whoa, slow down there a bit young lady, what happened?" he asked, hugging her back. Piper broke off and shoved a paper in his face, grinning from ear to ear. "I got the job!" she shrieked and Percy shrieked with her.

"Oh my God, that's news to celebrate, let's call Leo and Grover, and we're going to a pub right now!" he said, displaying as much excitement as Piper.

"Here's one to Piper for getting a new job, and wishing for Percy to get one as well." Grover said, and everyone toasted to it.

"Guys I need to break it to you," Piper said, "They are sending me to France to see how all the work of a presenter is done." The boys hooted for her and called for another round of drinks.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

 **I Wish I Could Change It**

Annabeth sat on her bed, toying with her phone, thinking whether she should call Jason or not. Even if she did call him, what will she say? Hi Jason, our parents want us to get married, I said yes to my mom like a fool, without even thinking of you, so, be an equally worse fool and marry me. She sighed, thinking about how she will tell him about what happened. She switched her phone off, and threw it behind her on her bed and lied down. Jason would soon know about it too, from his father, but Annabeth knew that he would appreciate it more if he got to know it from her rather than his dad, so she called him up, and said, "Hey Grace."

"Annabeth, hi." Said his relieved voice from the other end, "I was about to call you. Tell me what happened."

"I can't this way, can you come to my place?" she asked

"On my way." He answered and hung up.

* * *

"They what?!" Jason shouted, shock and rage clear in his voice.

"I just told you Jason, they want us to get married." Annabeth said, sounding irritated.

"But why?" Jason asked her, confusion etched on his face.

He sat down next to Annabeth on the sofa, and she explained everything to him, he listened without interrupting. When she was finished, he asked her, "I know my dad. He's a selfish man, works only by his motives and only for himself. The day he would have gotten to know that your company is no longer good for him, he would have drawn out too, no matter the situation or his friendship with your mom. There is a reason I hate him. Even if I would want to promise you a lifetime partnership, he would not allow it." Jason said shaking his head, "I guess you don't really have a choice now, do you?" he looked up at Annabeth, his gaze soft.

"I don't think so Jason." Annabeth replied, looking up at those blue eyes of his.

"This is crazy," he laughed lightly, "I mean, I knew we'd be spending our lives together, but as friends, not…. Not married" he finished, gulping.

"Me too, Jason, I never thought this would happen, but life is unpredictable." Annabeth said, looking solemn.

"Hey, good thing is, we're not marrying strangers, we're best friends, it will go alright." he said smilingly, in a light tone.

"You're right." Annabeth smiled back at him.

Jason leaned over and kissed her forehead. Annabeth hugged him tight and said, "I'll gladly spend the rest of my life with you if you do this every day."

"What? Forehead kisses? I can give you much more." He chuckled. Annabeth didn't break the hug but punched him lightly on the back and muttered, "Asshole." He hugged her tighter and said, "Get used to it Chase, you'll have to hear more of me now."

"Like I haven't been hearing your crap since I was six." She said finally breaking the hug.

"Yeah, yeah. C'mon, let's go get drinks and break it to Thalia." He said, standing up and offering Annabeth a hand. She took it and got up to leave with him. He was right, in a way, it would all go alright.

* * *

Piper lay in her bed, watching the ceiling and thinking about how awesome her new job was. They were training her how to talk to the camera as if it was her best friend, describe stuff in detail, made her read up and research all sorts of old monuments, and it was amazing. Of course, her journalism course had taught her all, but it was different, receiving training here, much more fun. Percy called her up, and she answered with a dreamy hello.

"Pipes, I have an interview in five, wish me luck." Said Percy's excited voice on the other end.

"Go get 'em tiger." She said with equal fervor.

"Thanks, will call you in an hour." he replied and hung up.

Piper fell back n her bed, cooking up stories in her head about France and how awesome her life was going to become.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

 **BREAKING NEWS**

Percy entered the building of Atlanta Lines at exactly 1 o'clock in the afternoon for his interview. Percy had applied for a job in their cruise line business. He wanted to join in as a crew member on cruise ships. He had training in sailing, and wanted to be as much at the sea as possible, because that's what he loved doing, being at the sea.

He asked the receptionist for the floor of human resources and took the elevator to the said floor. He was very excited and kind of nervous about this interview, thinking about how amazing it would be to be back at the sea, as a real sailor this time. He had finished his training a year ago, found short term employment in a cargo line, and had got a fair amount of money out of it, but they never let him man the wheel. He had always wanted to be the man steering the ship, and if they would rather have him stacking boxes on one another, Percy would rather have them dead.

He stepped into the waiting room, to find five more people waiting outside the HR's office. He sat down on the sofa and tapped his foot nervously. An hour passed. A short and stout woman came into the waiting room and looked up from a paper to say, "Percy Jackson?"

"That's me, miss" Percy answered.

"It's your turn. Good luck." She smiled pleasantly at Percy and left.

"Thank you" he shouted to her and got up. He straightened his suit, and walked into an office room labeled

HENRY SMITH

HR DEPARTMENT

Percy opened his mouth to say good afternoon, and suddenly the chair behind the desk turned to reveal a man in a dark grey suit, with a Tony Stark beard and jet black hair. That man stood up and grinned at Percy. "Hello, my boy"

* * *

Annabeth covered her ears as Thalia shrieked. She looked at Jason only to find him doing the same.

"YOU TWO ARE GETTING MARRIED?!" Thalia shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Yes." Jason and Annabeth answered together.

"MY BEST FRIEND AND BROTHER ARE GETTING MARRIED!" Thalia shrieked again.

"Yes, Thalia." They both answered together again.

"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK." She screamed for the third time. Both Jason and Annabeth sighed. Thalia took a long swig from her bottle of vodka and asked, "Well then, am I the best man or the bridesmaid?" with surprising calmness.

"Bridesmaid, actually, and the best man hasn't been decided upon yet." Jason told her.

"Cool." She said with excitement, her eyes wide.

Jason, Annabeth and Thalia were at Thalia's bar, and had just broken the news of their marriage to her. Thalia had gone wild. She kept yapping about it for the next few hours and when Jason had to leave for a meeting to work, she pulled Annabeth aside and asked her,

"How does it feel?"

"What? You have to be a bit more specific, since there's a lot that 'it' covers." Annabeth replied.

"First thing, marrying your best friend." Thalia said.

"Kind of weird, but it's a thousand times better than marrying a stranger." Annabeth replied and took a sip from Thalia's bottle.

"Uh, Annie, you know it's too early for you to be drinking, it's just one in the afternoon." Thalia pointed out, seeming shocked at Annabeth's behaviour.

"It's Happy Hour somewhere." Annabeth pointed out.

Thalia shrugged and continued. "And how does it feel to know that your mom called for such a huge favour?"

"Weird."

"Anna, don't give me one word replies. C'mon, say it. Say what you feel."

"Thals, I'm kind of scared and kind of feeling weird because of all this 'marry your partner company's owner' crap. But I'm doing it for my company, my mom and me too, in some way." Annabeth admitted and took another swig form Thalia's bottle.

"How does it benefit you?"

"I don't have to look for a partner now. I don't have to be scared of heartbreaks now. Jason will never do that, and besides, dating is a stupid business." She said taking another long swig from the vodka bottle.

"You're drunk already." Thalia chuckled.

"You need to be drunk to say certain things, they won't come out while you're sober." Annabeth stated, staring at the bottle, and took a swig.

* * *

Percy's mouth was left open. "Dad?!"

"Yes, son. It's me. Take a seat my boy." replied his father.

"Wha- what are you doing here?" Percy asked in disbelief, while sitting down on a chair opposite to him.

"I'm here to interview you. Show me your résumé." He held his hand out for Percy's file. Percy handed it to him, still in a state of utter shock. His father took it in his hand and flung it across the room, straight into the dustbin. Percy stared at him with an open mouth.

"You're hired. You start tomorrow." He said with finality.

"What the hell, dad?! What is this? What's going on?! How even are you here?" Percy demanded.

"Well, I recently bought this company, and when I was going through the job applicants list, I saw your name, and… well, I dropped in for your interview." Poseidon admitted with a guilty expression.

"I specifically looked for a company that you don't own, so that I could-"

Percy was cut off by Poseidon, "So that you could make your own name without my help?" he asked.

"Yes!" Percy confirmed.

"Alright, so I am giving you the captaincy of one cruise ship, it's going to Corsica, Greece, and Italy. You head all of this. If you prove yourself, you remain at the position, but if you don't, you start from the mail room the second you get back. Done?" Poseidon asked, raising his eyebrows in question and lacing his fingers.

"Done." Replied Percy.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

 **Fate Picks the Music, Human Shuts his Cakehole**

 _The Hunting Ground, 5 o'clock in the evening…._

Jason picked up his phone and unlocked it. _Should I?_ He thought to himself. _I should not._

"Do it, you idiot." His sister Thalia slapped the back of his head.

"What if it's a bad decision?" he asked her, worried.

"Well, it's your dream, if Annabeth wants to have a good time on her own for a while, then so can you, it's not a big deal, Jason. Do it, or I will." Thalia commanded him.

"Alright, I'll book the tickets for France."

* * *

 _Percy Jackson's apartment, New York…._

Percy packed the last of his stuff in his bag and sat down on his bed. Tomorrow will be his big day. He took a deep breath and told himself that all will go well. He will prove himself and get his dream job. If he manages to succeed, his mom will be so proud of him. Only thinking of her makes him smile like a five-year-old. He will do this for her.

* * *

 _Annabeth Chase's apartment, Sacramento, California…_

Annabeth packed her suitcase for the next day. Her mom sat beside her, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"You don't have to do this mom, we can barely afford it." Annabeth sighed.

"Your salary can. And I still have the money I saved for your college, which you didn't use because of your full ride, so let's use it now. I owe you atleast this much, love. Besides, you ought to travel alone atleast once before you get married. I went to a village near my home in Greece too, before your father and I got married." Her mom replied, rubbing her back.

Annabeth noticed how much older her mother looked when she was relaxed and not sitting between board members. Her wrinkles seemed more prominent, her hair had become greyer, her dark circles deeper, but what marked the difference between Minerva, the owner of Pallas Architects, who is known for her steely nature, and Athena, Annabeth's mother, an immigrant from Greece, was how her eyes became noticeably fonder and softer when she looked at her daughter.

"Well, I guess I could use a break." Right now, they were just a mother and a daughter, not two women who could now define the word 'compromise' better than most folks.

* * *

 _Piper McLean's apartment, New York City…_

Piper sat on her couch waiting for the cab to come and pick her up. She idly checked her Instagram, but her nerves were getting the best of her, she shut her phone and stuffed in her pocket. Piper kept tapping her foot on the floor and couldn't ignore the rush of excitement flooding her mind. She couldn't wait to hop off the plane after landing in France and the very thought of the car ride to Burgundy was filling her with bliss. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back, imagining scenes of the beautiful town of Burgundy to calm herself, but it only served in making her feel even more excited. Her phone pinged as if just to interrupt her. She opened the message she has just received. It was from the cab driver who was supposed to pick her up. Piper squealed in delight. Her awesome journey was about to begin.

* * *

 _10 AM the next day, New York City coast….._

Annabeth climbed the platform to the cruise liner. The name of the ship was _Princess Andromeda_. It was a beautiful white cruise liner, with approximately eight levels and tasteful decoration. A crewman came to her rescue and helped her haul her bags up.

"Thank you so much." Annabeth smiled at the guy.

"You're welcome ma'am." The blond haired man smiled back at her. "Please show me your ticket so that I may check and tell you your room number."

Annabeth handed him her ticket and he checked her details and gave her the directions to her room. A lobby boy took her luggage to the room so that she could explore the boat for a while. Her room was on the fourth level so she could go there after enjoying the summer sun for some time.

An hour later, when Annabeth had explored the entertainment level, the food level, and even that goddamn swimming pool level, she decided to go check her room. The hallway was white with a plush red carpet on the floor. The room's door had a 6 written on it in a stylish font, and the inside was even better than the outside. The room had a basic red, white and brown décor, with a cherry red comforter on the crisp white linens of the bed on her left, and a dark walnut cupboard right beside the door, a small table and a chair of the same colour, on the wall facing the door and a flat screen television on the wall facing the bed, and all walls were a pleasant white. Her luggage sat neatly near the foot of her bed.

Annabeth plopped down on the bed, took off her shoes and sent a message to her mom, Thalia and Jason that she had reached the boat safe and sound. She logged in to the ship's Wi-Fi and scrolled through her emails idly. When her eyes started to droop and the jet lag started catching up with her, she shut off her phone and decided that it was time for a nap.

* * *

 _12 noon, the same day, New York City coast…._

Percy strolled in on his _Princess Andromeda,_ the ship he was about to captain. He was already in his uniform, a crisp white shirt, tapered white trousers, shining black shoes and a captain's cap. He received a couple of sighs and dreamy looks from a few lady passengers who looked his way, and a small smirk was now plastered on his face.

He made his way to the main control room to check and cross check all the controls, and when he was satisfied, he decided that the ship was in perfect condition. He started chatting up with his fellow sailors, getting to know a couple of them, and he found that he already had a few favourites. The twins Connor and Travis Stoll were really witty and funny guys. Charles, his second in command was a sensible and cool person, with whom Percy instantly struck a chord. He then met with the ship's doctor, a really warm guy named Will Solace, and his assistant, Bianca Di Angelo. Percy was sort of surprised to find so many friendly and warm people aboard. He decided that it was rather good; at least his journey would be pleasant one.

After a couple of hours of chatting, cross checking, and tending to his duties in general, Percy decided to explore a little bit. He ended up on the swimming pool level, saw the bar and immediately started chatting up the bartenders. The swimming pool level was the top most level, with no ceiling, and glorious sunshine shining all over the place, except the bar, which was under shade. Right opposite from where Percy was standing, a woman climbed up the stairs, her slim, athletic legs carrying her gracefully. She had blonde hair in sort of messy princess curls, but she carried them well. She was wearing an orange sundress and black sunglasses. Those sunglasses were suiting her lightly tanned, high, royal looking cheekbones very well.

Percy soon realized that he was staring. He blushed and quickly averted his gaze from the young woman, but a tad bit too late. The young woman had already caught him staring, which he was unaware of. As he quietly sipped his beer, she came up and stood right next to him. He looked again, just to be sure it was her, and saw that she was already looking at him with steely grey eyes, now uncovered. Percy was transfixed. Her eyes seemed to cut right through him. The young lady cocked an eyebrow at him and proceeded to order something for herself. Percy quickly looked away, suddenly very interested in the label of the beer bottle, embarrassment flooding his mind.

Somewhere to his right, he heard a sigh. He turned to look at who it was, and found the pretty blonde looking right back at him. "You know, it's natural for adolescent males to be attracted to beautiful women. It's okay." She said with a pitiful expression, patted his back and left with a not so discreet roll of her eyes.

Percy was left dumbfounded. Never had any girl owned his ass like that since Piper did in eighth grade. He was twenty five, with a track record for being a good flirt, if not the best one. "Need ice for that burn, brother?" asked one of the bartenders, Katie Gardner.

"Thanks. I'll pass." He murmured into the rim of his beer.

* * *

Jason sighed as he let his head hit back on the head rest of his seat. The booking of his tickets has been a close call, and he was lucky find one seat in the Business Class. He did plan to land in Paris, and after that, he didn't know where he'd like to wander to. Everyone seemed okay with his plan, as long as he didn't get himself lost, which wasn't easy, considering internet and GPS. Besides, he's twenty five, a big boy. He can take care of himself.

He closed his eyes and let himself have a moment to breathe. To his right, he heard some commotion. _Peaceful moments never last long, do they?_ He asked himself. He opened his eyes, only to see a girl struggling with placing her luggage properly in the luggage cabin. Jason got up and cleared his throat and said, "May I help you with it, ma'am?"

She turned around and gave him the most beautiful and disarming smile imaginable, and said, "Oh yes please, if you don't mind that is."

"No problem," he said as he proceeded to pick up her rucksack, "Always ready to help beautiful ladies." That flirtation was unexpected. He felt like slapping himself for saying that. The girl he helped, a brunette with kaleidoscopic eyes and he hair messily braided, cocked an eyebrow at that.

"Sorry." He muttered.

"Na, it's okay. I found you cute too, that's why I let you help me. Otherwise, I perfectly capable of doing it myself too." She replied nonchalantly.

Jason was left dumbstruck. _Wow. This one's pretty straightforward._ He thought to himself. She extended her hand and said, "I'm Piper. You?"

"Jason." He replied while shaking her hand.

 **A/N: Sorry for the late update. I hope you enjoy this chapter. If you'd like your questions answered, post them in the reviews below. I'll answer them in future chapters.**


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